Archive for Album Review

Album Review: ‘This Christmas’ by Olivia N. John & John Travolta

November 8, 2012 Album Review No comments

With only a good few weeks away from Christmas it’s to be expected to see  a few season albums to be popping up. 35 years after they appeared in one of the biggest musicals ever, Grease (just in case you were wondering), Australia’s sweetheart Olivia Newton John and John Travolta have reunited for the very special occasion and recorded a very special Christmas album.

The album, simply entitled ‘This Christmas’ takes on some of the most festive  tracks and sparkles them with a bit of the ‘Danny & Sandy’ dust. And it works quite well actually. One of the highlights is the fabulous ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ which features that other iconic singer Barbra Streisand. As an all round performer Barbra makes the song that little more spectacular.She’s not the only one paying a visit as Tony Bennett (on ‘Winter Wonderland’), James Taylor and Cliff Richard also stop by to join our lovely duo for some of the best Christmas songs. (no we won’t tell you all the songs, let it be a surprise!)

Apart from one brand new track, ‘I Think You Might Like It’ especially written for the occasion, the other tracks are all classics and not necessarily ground breaking but having these two iconic stars back together in the studio and recording a record of which all the proceedings will be split between their charities, the Jett Travolta Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John concer and Wellness Centre, makes buying this album, all the more worth.

But there’s more to why you should buy this album. After all this time, the voices of Newton-John and Travolta still blend together beautifully which gives really gives you that ultimate Christmas feel. Also The new track is in fact a nice surprise from the tracklist as its less christmassy than we expected, its uptempo, sounds a bit musical meets country & western like. So be ready to be amazed!

This lovely Christmas album is out on November 12. Digitally and Physically. Buy the album through our GloPop store.

Watch Olivia Newton John sing ‘Silent Night’ live a few years back.

Album review: ‘Heaven’ Deluxe Edition by Rebecca Ferguson

October 29, 2012 Album Review No comments

The ever so sweet looking Rebecca Ferguson turned our heads around for the very first time in 2010 when she took on that X Factor stage and went on to becoming the runner up of the 2010 series. One year later in 2011, she released her debut album ‘Heaven’ making it one of the biggest commercial and critically acclaimed albums of the year. Now in 2012, Ferguson is touring Europe, Asia and has her eyes set on 2013 which meant a repackaged version of her debut album with a few brand new tracks would be perfect for the upcoming festive season.

There all there, all of Ferguson’s hit singles so far. From the midtempo debut ‘Nothings Real But Love’ to the more dancey ‘Too Good To Loose’. The original ten tracks already proved what a star class lady from Liverpool Rebecca truly is. So is it really worth buying the repackaged version when there’s no more than five new tracks featured?

In fact it is, Ferguson has such a unique voice timbre, that it allows her to create a unique atmosphere with every single song she’s been given. Take her latest single, ‘Backtrack’ which has such an uplifting uptempo feel to it despite the track actually dealing with a lover who can’t stop but telling lies. In essence that’s what the five brand new tracks do they are all there to continue to create a magnificent atmosphere. The live version of Drake’s hit ‘I’ll Take Care You’ in her hometown is impressive from the first to the end note, and captivates that idea beautifully. No wonder Rebecca was chosen to sing the new theme song of the immensely popular series ‘Downton Abbey’ on ‘I’ll Count The Days”. ‘Good Days and Bad Days’ sees the Liverpudian flirt with the more alternative dream lounge music. It’s difficult to pick one particular highlight as they are all, incredible but a special note has to go to the new track ‘Strange & Beautiful (I’ll Put A Spell On You’) which is simply in a league of its own. So is it worth it? Absolutely! And this is only the beginning.

Heaven (Deluxe Edition) by Rebecca Ferguson is out now. Buy it through our GloPop Store.

Watch Rebecca Ferguson’ ‘Teach Me How To Be Loved’ below:

Album Review: Evolution by JLS

October 22, 2012 Album Review No comments

The four lads of JLS are returning with a new album that will surprise many of their fans and critics. ‘Evolution’ is the fourth studio album of the band who became successful after appearing on the British TV show, The X Factor in 2008.

Since appearing on the show they have had a rather successful career, including numerous awards, singing the official BBC Children in Need song in 2011 and many more highlights. Long life expectations for groups are  rare but the remarkable thing for JLS is their genuine friendship and by the sounds of it, the chemistry these guys have is not to be stopped anytime soon.

‘Evolution’ is their best work to date and is pretty much the result of a radical style transformation. ‘Evolution’ is much more R&B than the guys current pop catalog. Not a big surprise considering they’ve been working with some of the biggest American hip hop producers on this album, such as The Runners [Rihanna, Chris Brown, Rick Ross] and Midi Mafia [Brandy, Frank Ocean] to legendary R&B hit-maker Rodney Jerkins [TLC, Kanye West, Beyonce].

Embrace yourself for a cracker of an opening tune, which will set the record about their evolution completely straight. ‘Dessert’ is pretty much straight in your face, oozes business and determination. With a little sample of Another Level’s ‘Freak Me’ (can you find where it is?) the track has got to be one of the contenders for a future single. Sounding like a Tinie Tempah production, this is an amazing start to the album.

Current single, the sleek, modern club song ‘Hottest Girl In The World’, which was produced by the courtesy of Bangladesh [Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Usher] brings a ‘Justin Timberlake’ feel to JLS, a style which sounds true to them.. If you thought ‘Hottest Girl in the World’ couldn’t be topped, watch out for ‘All The Way’ which is rightfully another fantastic club stomper. And don’t get us started on ‘Troublemaker’ (not to confuse with that other X Factor runner up, Olly Murs). There’s no stopping to potential hits on this album;

‘Evolution’ is pretty consistent and for the first time we embrace the fact that JLS have opted for a lot more uptempo tracks than mid-tempo or ballad tracks. Having said that, the few ballad tracks which have made the final cut, do sound amazing (without sounding cheesy) and can be classified as the the proper R&B ballads. The fresh sound from when the guys appeared with their first solo singles in 2009 is back and for the very first time in their career we feel they have literally arrived home and embraced the musical direction which suits them naturally: R&B.

‘Evolution’ the new JLS album is out November 5. Listen to a sampler of the album below:

Tracks You have to give a spin and download: ‘Dessert’, ‘Hottest Girl In The World’, ‘All The Way’, ‘Give Me Life’, ‘Troublemaker’

Watch JLS perform an acoustic version of ‘Hottest Girl in The world’ below.

Album Review: ‘Gold Dust’ by Tori Amos

October 7, 2012 Album Review No comments

Tori Amos, is one of the most versatile alternative singer songwriters since more than a decade. She proves once again to be worthy of that title with her new compilation album ‘Gold Dust’.

Don’t be mistaken by the word ‘compilation’ album. ‘Gold Dust’ is more than just a compiled album of Tori Amos biggest hits. No the singer has selected 14 tracks from her huge music catalog which have been highlights in her career and have a very emotional meaning to her. That alone makes it a very versatile playlists of more known and unknown tracks by the North Carolina raised singer songwriter.

On top of that, each track has been rerecorded in a classical arrangement with the renowned Metropole Orchestra, a collaboration which kicked off in 2010 after Amos was phoned to perform with them live. The result is a completely different arrangement for the 14 tracks, making ‘Gold Dust’ an hour of romantic, unforgettable Amos gems. Jumping out immediately are ‘Yes Anastacia’ , ‘Jackie’s Strength’ and ‘Precious Things’, the latter which has been given a haunting arrangement, with a piano and string violins as central instruments. Absolutely astonishing! The classical arrangement hasn’t just been friendly to the 14 tracks but the crisp vocals of Tori are top notch. She’s the centre of attention and her voice proves once again that she can do anything musically. If you haven’t checked out her previous classical album ‘Night Of Hunters’, then ‘Gold Dust’ is the best first introduction to Amos new style. You’ll want more.

‘Gold Dust’, the new Tori Amos album is out now.

Watch the video for Amos current single ‘Flavour’ taken from the album ‘Gold Dust’ below.

Album review: ‘Fear & Freedom’ by Ricki-Lee

August 16, 2012 Album Review One comment

The Aussies have been gearing up for one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year, and the moment has finally arrived: Ricki-Lee, in a former life known as Ricki-Lee Coulter said goodbye to the music industry for a few years, but returned at the end of last year with a massive bang (Remember her catchy pop track ‘Raining Diamonds’?). Not only did she come back, looking like the twin sister of British royalty Kate Middleton but she promised to come back with an incredible sound and a new album called ‘Fear & Freedom’.

If Ricki-Lee already wowed the Australian audience during her Idols performance years ago in the second season of the Australian talent show, her new album ‘Fear & Freedom’ shows that the young singer, might just give Kylie a run for her money and finally allow her to claim the title of Australia’s new pop queen. Ricki-Lee’s singles ‘Do It Like That, which takes her in a way back to her ‘Sex and the City ‘ track ‘ U Wanna Little of This’ (a world wide chart success) and the ultra modern ‘Crazy’ (Drum & Bass in a juicy dance jacket is so cool) already proved why the new album was destined to be so popular.

But it’s the story behind ‘Fear & Freedom’ which really shows why this is such a strong album. “The album is all about unleashing your inner strength, rising above all the things that ever held you back and being free to do whatever you want to do in life…the power is in your hands…you just have to realise it and take control of it. So the cover has that really epic, empowered and almost superhero-esque feeling about it and I’m so in love with it!” Ricki said about the album + artwork. And that’s exaclty what this album is about. Don’t expect any ballads, because this is one album full of dance floor anthems; Opening track ‘Human’ sets the tone beautifully with a melody similar to Swedish songstress Agnes (Release Me), while ‘Burn it Down’ is an uplifting electro pop song, showcasing the amazing pair of lungs this young lady has.

One of the absolute highlights however is towards the end of the album. Jus when you think Ricki-Lee can’t amaze you anymore, she’s going the extra mile in the darker trance-inspired track ‘World Dissapears’. It’s darker, but its beats and catchiness are screaming global hit! This is not only screaming for a single release but if her record company plays it clever and would consider to share the Australian pop queen with the rest of the world, this is the track which could go all the way.

All in all, the wait for Ricki-Lee’s album has been well worth the wait. Presenting a collection of ten uptempo, but most of all uplifting tracks, Ricki-Lee has delivered a faultless, refreshing new pop album which should earn her without a doubt the title of Australia’s Pop Queen. Hail Ricki-Lee!

‘Fear & Freedom’ the album by Ricki-Lee, is out now in Australia and New Zealand only via iTunes. Check out the video of Ricki-Lee’s latest single ‘Crazy’ below:

Album Review: ‘Misty Eye’ by Aiden Grimshaw

August 16, 2012 Album Review No comments

If we’re being honest, as a contestant in the X Factor in series, being kicked out of the competition usually means the hopes for a record deal are rather slim. But Blackpool born singer Aiden Grimshaw, remember his rendition on the show of ‘Mad world’, is without a doubt a big exception to the rule. Described in his audition by Simon Cowell as ‘a true pop star’ the shock elimination from the talent show, has made the singer only stronger. And now 2 years after, the Blackpool singer, who’s based in London, releases his astonishing debut album ‘Misty Eye’.

When Cowell, spoke the famous words ‘Now that’s what I call a Popstar’ he immediately knew Grimshaw had all the potential to become Big! And he most definitely is, in fact not winning the X Factor has given Grimshaw the opportunity to be creative and free in making the music he likes. That creative freedom has translated itself in the Drum&Bass inspired uptempo debut single ‘Is this Love’ earlier this year, which undeservedly only entered the charts at number 35 but immediately showed Grimshaw is more than just another X Factor contestant. Also the follow up ballad, ‘Curtain Call’ shows an unknown class, (something hard to find these days) featuring thrilling vocals of not only Aiden but his female counterpart.  All the tracks that make up ‘Misty Eye’ are fresh and innovating.Take the first song on the album, ‘Hold On’, which could easily be the top pick as theme song for a brand new thrilling drama series, ready to take over the world. ‘Misty Eye’, which shares the albums title, builds towards a similar scenario, being perhaps a tad more personal.  An absolute favourite however is to be found towards the back of the album, ‘Nothing At all’ for example has all the ingredients to be Grimshaw’s answer to the massive chart success of singer songwriter Emeli Sande’s debut single ‘Heaven’.

Favourite tracks? We plead guilty, it’s too hard to pick just one. Versatility with ” a less is more” trait is the best way of describing this impressive, but enchanting collection of tracks. ,But we leave you with the promise it’s without a doubt the most exciting thing you’ll ever hear coming from the X Factor. So forget about the album being just for the hardcore fans,  it’s an absolute must have for any music lover out there.

If you ever thought it wasn’t possible for an X Factor contestant to change the music landscape, think again, because this pop star Aiden Grimshaw has well and truly arrived!

‘Misty Eye’ the new album of Aiden Grimshaw is out on August 20. See the video of his latest video ‘Curtain Call’ below:

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